Even the best, most committed athletes and fitness enthusiasts sometimes have trouble sticking to their workout and training plans.
There are illnesses, family obligations, travel days and periods of stress or low motivation. A cycling coach I worked with once gave me some good advice. I am paraphrasing here but in general she said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry. When you have to miss a few days, don鈥檛 try to make up for it, just move on and look back at your training diary. Days, months, and years of consistency by far make up for a few missed training sessions.鈥�
I really believe this and I always tell people that it鈥檚 consistency over time that will pay off with your health and fitness. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 the first one to say, 鈥淚t鈥檚 Christmas break. Take the week off!鈥� Or, 鈥淕o out with your friend from out of town, don鈥檛 worry about missing your regular workout.鈥� 鈥淗alloween? Birthday? Kid鈥檚 preschool graduation? Have fun! See you at your next workout.鈥�
However, summer is one time that I will never say, 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry about it.鈥�
A lot of fun things go on in the summer that can cause havoc for your fitness routine: backyard barbeques and beach days, camping and road trips, wedding season and out of town guests, heat and humidity, patios and pool parties. But rather than being a one-off, these occasions pop up all summer and the season is 13 weeks long.
Thirteen weeks is too long to let your fitness routine slide into oblivion. And that is what will happen if you miss more than a few regularly scheduled workouts.
Since the majority of us are not professional athletes and are not paid to work out, I am not suggesting we give up on all the summer fun. What I am suggesting is to challenge yourself. Find creative ways of fit in exercise. The challenge is not to stick to your routine but to make sure you are getting enough exercise in spite of your summer plans and the summer heat.
Some things are no brainers. Go for a hike or trail run at a national park. Take a sight-seeing walk around a new city. Rent a bike and explore a new cycling route.
Other things are a little trickier. Try swimming, not splashing, wading or floating in an ocean or lake. Rent a canoe, a kayak, or a stand up paddle board.
Some things are even harder to do. Swallow your pride and do some walking lunges and sun salutations at a road side rest stop. Have you ever been the only one doing step ups and push ups on a log at the beach?
And the trickiest of all, get your friends, neighbours, kids, grandmother, out-of-town guests or hosts to do these activities with you. There are a million things you can do for exercise that don鈥檛 mean going to the gym, taking a yoga class or going for a standard 5km or 10km run.
Your summer challenge is to find creative ways to exercise a minimum of three times per week for all 13 weeks of summer.
Here are a few tips, just for summer:
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Try to avoid the heat by exercising in the early morning or after the sun sets.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Wear lightweight, breathable clothing and a hat to keep the sun off your head.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Drink plenty of fluids and drink an electrolyte replacement such as Gatorade or NUUN if you are sweating a lot.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cool off after your workout by sitting in the shade, taking a cool shower or swimming in a cool body of water.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Include cardiovascular exercise, strength exercises, and stretching or range of motion exercises if not in each workout session, then at least one of each throughout the week.
Darnelle Moore is co-founder of Eastside Fitness. She believes fitness is for every body. Reach her at [email protected].
